Australian Identity

Lindsay proved to be a great factor in Drysdale's life, able to connect with him because of similar backgrounds and connections with country life.
             "Lindsay was interested enough to.ask me whether I had ever thought about taking up painting as a career. Well, it had certainly never occurred to me, but I liked Lindsay because he had had the same sort of life that I had led. He had been a jackeroo and a station manager and we could talk about horses and sheep.really the only thing I had in my own world. I thought about this. I thought I might try art and he introduced me to George Bell."" 1.
             After meeting with the artist George Bell, Drysdale's life took a major turn. In the late forties bell had rejected academicism for modernism. In 1932, Drysdale attended the newly opened Shore-Bell School for about two months. There he was introduced to reproductions of modern art by Cezanne, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Roualt and Dufy. Bell emphasized the importance of form, and drawing from life. As a teacher he imposed no style but offered firm guidance to his students.
             "I remember.that when [Bell] saw that I could draw he talked to me one day about this question of looking at objects and not just remembering them, but thinking about the essence of an object. I mean, if you looked at a jug, for instance, you considered that it wasn't just a jug but it was the essence of jugs, that all jugs had a shape because they had to conform, to hold something, so there had to be a confirmation of shape, and that when one drew from one's memory one should try and get this into a form which was the essence of a jug, an archetype if you like."" 2.
             After completing his education with Bell, Drysdale traveled to Europe to become more familiar with international works, still maintaining his passion for representational art of outback Australia and the people who create the Australian cultural identity. For the first time in his life, Drysdale visited both public and commercial galleries where he begun to show admiration for the impressionists and early 20th century School of Paris artists.